Samuel Pepys: Plague, Fire, Revolution.

This new exhibition at the National Maritime Museum opens with a huge painting showing the execution of King Charles I in 1649. Somewhere in the crowd of onlookers on that freezing winter day would have been a 15-year-old schoolboy, playing truant to witness the historic event. Samuel Pepys (below, age 33) lived in turbulent times and later, in 1660, began recording it all his famous diaries. Of the execution, he wrote: ”the words that I said the day that the King was beheaded.... ‘the memory of the wicked shall rot”’.

It’s a dramatic start  to an exhibition that brings Pepys’s era to life with a fascinating series of exhibits and paintings. We see the death mask of Oliver Cromwell and items relating to the restoration of the Stuart dynasty under King Charles II. (Pepys was at the coronation, though he records he had to leave early as he had “so great a list to piss.”) There are portraits of the many mistresses of Charles II, including a nude Nell Gwynn that would have been kept in a private room and hidden behind another painting. The curators have also brought together a selection of the lavish fashions of the day, including a court dress with costly Venetian needle lace collar and this embroidered velvet shoe.

Pepys records his disapproval of the debauchery and excess at court: “The King does mind nothing but pleasures and hates the very sight or thought of business.” However he was himself frequently unfaithful to his own wife and recorded his escapades (and occasional remorse) in his diaries in a form of shorthand.

Pepys lived through the devastation of the plague (the exhibition records he chewed tobacco in the belief it would keep infection away) and the destruction of the Great Fire of London in 1666 when he borrowed a cart to take away his money and valuables and buried his parmesan cheese in the garden. His house survived; we don't know the fate of the cheese. But perhaps his greatest physical challenge came in 1658 before he started his diaries, when he had a bladder stone the size of a billiard ball removed without anaesthetic or antiseptic. His survival was probably due to being the first on the operating table that day, reducing the risk of infection. Seventeenth-century medical instruments on loan from the Royal College of Physicians – and a similar stone – illustrate this extremely painful procedure.

During his lifetime Pepys was best known for his important work in running the naval affairs of England, which brought him wealth and power, and resulted in the creation of a truly professional navy. He also went to the colony of Tangier as compensation assessor during the deliberate destruction of the city’s defences (below) – the English were pulling out and didn’t want any rival nation to benefit from them.

In later years he became an MP and president of the Royal Society, though while matters discussed there interested him, he confessed to not always understanding what he heard. It was the dawn of the scientific revolution and on display are books, documents and instruments relating to the experiments and findings.

The exhibition ends with the events of the Glorious Revolution, which resulted in the overthrow of Pepys’s great patron, James II. With the accession of William and Mary in 1689, he stepped down from office and spend his retirement indulging his many interests.

Missing from the exhibition are the actual diaries, which he wrote from 1660 – 69. When he died these and his library of 3000 books went to Magdalene College Cambridge, where they languished on a shelf until in 1819, prompted by the success of the publication of diaries kept by John Evelyn, a scholar there began decoding and transcribing them into longhand English. Three years and 54 volumes later he finished, only to discover that a key to the squiggles was in a textbook on a nearby shelf. As a condition of the bequest, the diaries may not leave the college, but there are electronic images of them on display, with transcriptions now available at the touch of a finger (above).

Samuel Pepys: Plague, Fire, Revolution. National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, until March 28 2016
http://www.rmg.co.uk/see-do/exhibitions-events/samuel-pepys-plague-fire-revolution-exhibition

Wool War One: a knitted army appears in London

There was a moving tribute to the troops who lost their lives in the First World War at the 2015 World Travel Market:  a column of several hundred tiny knitted soldiers, trudging through the French stand at the Excel centre, complete with belts, haversacks, hats and boots. Wool War One is a remembrance project by French artist Délit Maille, helped by 500 volunteer knitters from around the world. The figures were previously displayed at Roubaix in northern France, as part of the Farewell to Arms season, and at the Grand Palais in Paris.

One figure stood by itself, under a plaque with the poignant words of Rudyard Kipling:
                                              "If any question why we died

                                               Tell them, because our fathers lied."

                                                             - The Common Form, 1918

The choice of wool was deliberate, as it was widely used in uniforms and equipment and still plays an important part in the agricultural economy of countries that fought in the conflict, such as Australia, the UK, NZ and South Africa.

There are 800 figures in the installation, each 15cm high, but space restrictions meant this had to be reduced to 540 for the London travel trade exhibition.

2016 sees the centenary of the Battle of the Somme. Official commemorations begin in northern France on July 1, and a new interpretation centre opens in June in Thiepval. Fingers crossed the woollen army will be on display again.

British Museum's Day of the Dead festival

 

This spectacular statue is part of the British Museum’s free festival to mark the Mexican Day of the Dead - a celebration that can be traced back to Aztec times. Traditionally, families gather to remember relatives and friends who have passed away. They build private altars and take gifts such as food, drinks and even sugar skulls to the graves. The museum event runs from October 30 to November 2, 2015 and includes art, performance, storytelling and talks, with a special Friday late night opening featuring Mexican food and drink. 

http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/day_of_the_dead.aspx

Ai Weiwei's Tree installation at the Royal Academy

As part of a major exhibition at the Royal Academy by the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, the front courtyard has been transformed into a grove of trees. The overall effect is stunning, and hugely popular with passers-by as well gallery visitors. The structures are made from sections of dead trees collected on the mountains of southern China. These were pieced together at Ai’s studio in Beijing to create the eight ‘complete’ trees on show. They’ve been interpreted as a commentary on the way diverse people have been brought together to form ‘One China’.

This marble couch in the grove is a reference to the Ming dynasty vogue for creating everyday objects from luxurious materials. While these served no practical purpose, they emphasised the wealth of the rulers of Imperial China. Some visitors were trying it out, but didn't stay there for very long - not the most comfortable seat around!

A picture of Ai Weiwei looks down on the statue of Academy's founder, Sir Joshua Reynolds, that usually dominates the courtyard. I couldn't help wondering what he would have made of it all.

Viewing the trees is free, but there is a charge for the rest of the exhibition, which is continues until December 3, 2015.

https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/

'Baron' Terry Pratchett to be auctioned

An almost life-sized fibreglass sculpture with the face of Sir Terry Pratchett is to be auctioned at Salisbury Cathedral tomorrow evening (October 1). It’s one of 25 statues of medieval barons, created to mark the 800^th anniversary of the Magna Carta, which have been on display around the city since June.

The Discworld author died in March following a public struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Illustrator and long-time Discworld collaborator Paul Kidby wanted his figure to be a tribute to the author. It has a shield with Discworld on it, a helmet with a Discworld motto, and a cloak made up of about 70 of Pratchett’s most famous characters.

The statues of the Barons’ Charter Trail were reunited outside the Cathedral prior to the auction. (The Cathedral is home to the best-preserved of the four surviving copies of the Magna Carta.)

Among the figures is a Stonehenge Winter Solstice Druid Baron (above), created by New Zealand artist Mandii Pope. She says she wanted to keep her design local, and has been fascinated by pagan history and Stonehenge for years.

Others in the collection include (from left) a Magna Carta 800 Baron, a Quintessentially British Baron,  an Astro Baron, and even a Hello Kitty one (5th from left). The Conceptual Baron (below) stands in front of the Walking Madonna statue by Dame Elizabeth Frink, part of the Cathedral's permanent collection of contemporary artworks.

The money raised by the auction will go to the Trussell Trust, a charity that provides emergency food and support to people in difficulties. 

 

http://www.thebaronscharter.org.uk/

Footnote (2.10.15)
Baron Discworld raised the most money - £5000. Of the others pictured above, Quintessentially British fetched £2,600, the Winter Solstice Druid and Astro Baron both went for £2,500,  the Magna Carta 800 Baron for £2,100, and Hello Kitty for £1,300. A highly sucessful event!